My unusual passion

Today I have decided to share something a little different with you. Something a little more personal.

I want you to imagine yourself walking among the green grass on a sunny day - not too hot, nor too cold - completely forgetting about all the worries of the world, and feeling completely relaxed and in the moment. Sure sounds like I'm describing meditation, right? Wrong!

My passion is seeking four leaf clovers. And picking them, of course.
Obviously, the more leaves the better, but I'll take what I can get and settle for 4.

^{Some 4 leaf clovers I found who knows where.}

It all began because of the daily walks with my dog and I needed to find something to keep me busy while I waited for him to finish digging. And let me tell you, my dog ***loved*** digging. There's a field that's (mostly) unused right next to where I live, so there was no problem at all to let my dog run (read: dig) loose while I walked myself around. Now that I think of it, he probably thought it was me who needed a walk, not him. Mind you, I was around 10 years old then, without a smart phone or a Walkman™ to keep me company. So I desperately needed to find something to do. The easiest thing to do was talking to myself. But sooner, rather than later, I realised I needed something more. There was only so much I could talk to myself about, without having any props with me.

^{7 leaf clovers found in Maribor (right) and at Kölnbrein Dam, Austria (left)}

I came up with fictional stories starring different monsters and heroes and whatnot. Literally anything to keep me busy.
I soon began to incorporate my surroundings into the stories - such as the Hero being stuck on the nearby hill, or the monster being right below me, or hiding in the nearby bushes. And so one time I looked down... and it was just there. A four leaf clover, staring right back at me, just waiting to be plucked from the ground.
And so I did. I picked it up.
My eyes shone with happiness and I thought I was blessed with eternal luck.

But, much like every other human, I thought to myself that if I managed to find one, I could certainly find more. So I looked down at the grass and into the many clusters of leaf clovers only to find out that all I could see were 3 leaf clovers, not four.

^{Fresh 7 leaf found in Maribor, Slovenia}

I realised soon that finding another 4 leaf clover was not an easy task. I was walking really slow and I made sure to check every patch of clovers I could lay my eyes on, yet found not even one more that day.
The next day, however, when I was out walking with nothing to do, I stared at the floor again, seeking 4 leaf clovers.
I can't remember when I managed to find the next one, nor how many, but I do remember that I kept on looking for them.
At all times.
And I still do.
There's just something magical about it. It requires a certain peace of mind, yet at the same time poses a great challenge that cannot be rushed. No way you can hurry with finding one of these.
And one of the reasons I most love this activity, is simply that it beyond relaxes you. Even if you were mad at everything and everyone, it will force you to find your inner peace and relax. And it works each and every time, all the time.

^{What I managed to find inside one of the books}

Even now when I go out for a walk, I'll catch myself looking at the ground and trying to find a 4 leaf clover. Might also be part of the reason why I enjoy taking long walks so much. It's not too rare for me to come home with 20 or more 4+ leaf clovers.
Sometimes, just for the sake of it, I even challenged myself to find as many 4 leaf clovers as possible in a certain time frame. I know I said it cannot be rushed, and (at least at first) it cannot really be, but it was all in good fun. Nothing serious.
From time to time, my mother even joined in, and we'd compete.
^{I won everytime, but don't tell her I said that.}
But with time I got lazy and the usual 4 leaf clovers became more or less all alike, so I stopped drying them. I plucked them, sure, but then didn't make the effort to dry them in a book. It's probably been years since I dried any new ones. And probably even forgot in which books they are stored, or even got rid of those books. Who knows?

But @svashta, what do you do then with the ones you pick up?
Just throw them away?
Well, yes and no.

I throw away the ones that make it back home with me, yes.

But the ones I find toward the beginning of my prolonged walks... I place at certain places where people could stumble upon them. Like benches, swings, those outside faucets I don't know how to properly call in English, hand rails, .... .... ....

And then I like to come up with stories, about how people will react when they find them.
Will it put a smile on their face?
Will they take it home and dry it?
Will they lie to their friends they found it on their own?
...
The possibilities are endless.

Other times I just straight up give them to random strangers I pass by. It's beautiful to see them light up when they see what they had received. Sometimes we strike up a conversation, sometimes we don't...

I think of it as... a random act of kindness.
And it's the least I can do.

So how about you?

Do you have any unusual passions?

Tell me about it/them in the comments, or make a post for yourself and leave a link.

^{Gif by @rocking-dave}